Although some would argue that Castlevania III deserves the spot, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night will forever hold a place as one of the Castlevania series' best entries. Since then, Konami has stuck with the open-ended Metroid formula and been successful with it. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is the series' second outing on the DS and, while it does come up short in a few areas and is really more of the same, it is still a fun adventure worthy of the Castlevania brand.

Compared to Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin (PoR) takes a visual step back. Although it does some really neat things with the DS’s 3D capabilities, it looks more like a high-end GBA title than Dawn of Sorrow, which came pretty close to matching Symphony of the Night. Still, the game looks really good and shows that there’s still some life in 2D presentation. Most of the 3D elements are things you probably won’t notice right off. Some levels have 3D elements in the background to add depth and some enemies are modeled. It is conceivable to think that the visual downgrade is intentional so the blurry textures don’t look out of place. This is purely speculative and either way, you’ve got a game that looks good.

Music has never disappointed on the musical front and PoR carries on with the tradition. There are fewer “known” tracks in the game, instead most of the soundtrack is brand new and matches the style of other games in the series. You really have to pop in a headset to really appreciate the soundtrack. Voice work is limited to the main characters calling out each other’s names and the rest of the sound effects pull from the same stock as the rest of the series.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin follows the same Metroid-style gameplay as recent installments. However, PoR also pays homage to pre-Symphony games by including small, self-contained levels as well. Taking control of both Jonathan Morris, the son of Bloodline’s John, or Charlotte Aulin you travel through Dracula’s castle, this time on a mission to stop an evil vampire from taking Dracula’s power.

Compared to previous versions, Dracula’s castle is scaled back in PoR. It is still big, though your progression through the castle is much more linear. In the end, it only serves as a large hub connecting the game’s other nine levels, all of which are accessed though portals in paintings. The number of secret areas has been reduced as well. There are still plenty of nooks and crannies to discover, though not as many as in past games.

Levels are laid out similar to the castle and follow the same linear pacing. Once or twice you may need to return to one once you have uncovered a new spell or ability, though for the most part, they are self-contained and straightforward. Since you are no longer confined to the castle, locations are rather diverse in appearance. Locations range from an old town, to an Egyptian pyramid, to a twisted circus that literally twists around itself.

Going through just the main game, PoR can take anywhere from 6 – 12 hours depending on the number of side quests you decide to complete. Early in the game, you meet a spirit named Wind who offers to train you by giving you a number of challenges to face. These include mastering sub-weapons, learning a special move or collecting items from the castle. The rewards are usually worth the trouble, since it is the only way to get some of the game’s more powerful weapons and some ever helpful HP/ MP upgrades.

You can only have five quests active at any given time, and you must complete them in order to gain more. None of the quests are unreasonable, but some take time to complete. However, a select few require that you find special items from around the castle. These items are never marked as quest items, so it is possible that you might accidentally sell them before completing the quest. Since there is no way to buy back items once they are sold, you can end up screwing yourself out of rewards, including a very nice one that you get for finishing all of the quests.

In addition to completing side-quests, you can also spend time ferreting out secret locations for rare pieces of armor, spells, abilities or HP/MP upgrades. You can also spend time completing the bestiary, mapping out the entire castle or mastering all of the sub-weapons. And, in true Castlevania form, there is at least one big story event that ends up opening an optional second part of the game. Additional game modes are unlocked once you complete the main quest.

Making use of the DS’s WiFi capabilities, PoR offers a co-op mode. The number of co-op levels is limited, though it is still a fun diversion. You can also use the WiFi connection to open up an online shop where you can sell your unused spoils or buy any quest items you may have accidentally sold. Prices are pre-determined, so customers shouldn’t fear inflated prices for rare items like the long sword or pieces of nun’s clothing.

Although the exploration has been downgraded, it is still a good idea to save every chance you get to save you from having to retrace your steps should you die. It is also a good idea to make sure you have plenty of health potions on hand.

The linear structure offers a nice learning curve early on; once you begin to explore more of the castle, things become irregular. It is not uncommon to come across enemies that are too powerful for your current level. Although it isn’t necessary, it is also worth your time mastering sub-weapons. Some, like the axe, are extremely powerful when mastered. I was able to easily rough the last few bosses just using the mastered axe.

During the game you control both characters. You take control of the lead character while the A.I. controls the other. The dual character system is implemented well; it gives you the freedom to play as one character, but also gives you a good enough reason to use both. Both share the same experience pool, so you’ll never run into a situation where one is at a disadvantage. Again, you can easily play through most of the game as one or the other, though there are times when both will need to be out either to solve a puzzle or fight a particularly hard boss. When both are out, the lead character uses the health bar while the other uses the magic bar. If the second character dies, they teleport out and can’t be used for a few seconds.

Pressing the right shoulder button calls in a character for a quick one-shot of their sub-weapon or spell. Pressing ‘A’ calls them in for a longer time period (until you call them out or they die). At any time you can also switch your lead character by pressing X. The set up is easy to use and allows you to quickly use powers and swap characters in and out during battles.

Jonathan plays like your typical vampire hunter. He can wield a number of main and sub-weapons and has the now standard double jump and slide abilities. You don’t have access to as many types of weapons, though there is still a decent number available. A few new sub-weapons have been added and are a little more useful than in past games.

All sub-weapons have mastery levels. As you use them, they gain SP points. The closer a sub-weapon gets to its mastery level, the more damage it does. The number of points needed varies and, like player experience, it can take a while to max out a weapon. Still, mastering a few of the sub-weapons is advisable since it can make some boss fights much, much easier.

Charlotte has access to all of Jonathan’s abilities, although instead of using sub-weapons, she uses magic. Magic works the same way, only without the option of mastering them. Instead, most of her spells need to be learned through quest rewards or as random enemy drops. Spells also take some time to cast, leaving Charlotte vulnerable for a short period of time.

Both characters can use special team-up abilities that cause lots of damage.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is another great entry in the series. Although it is scaled back both visually and in some gameplay elements, it is still a fun experience that offers lots to do and plenty of replay value. The only major issue I had was the length since, even with the added side-quests, it is still a short adventure. But, the extras are more than enough reason to keep playing.